‘Graphic Medicine is the definitive blog in the realm of comics and medicine.’

It’s true. The blog’s exploration of comics as a medium within the discourse of healthcare, with input from a whole range of professionals, makes graphicmedicine.org a fascinating place.

"It is my contention that comic/graphic fiction could be a useful resource for healthcare professionals, patients and carers," says now-Manchester-based physician Ian Williams, who started the blog back in 2007.

I'd have to agree. You only need to look at the piercingly insightful works of Nicola Streeten, Frederik Peeters and David B, for example, dealing respectively with grief, HIV and epilepsy.

HOAX too, I hope, will be equally powerful on the subject of schizophrenia.

Having grown internationally since its inception, the Graphic Medicine blog now plays host to a yearly conference: London in 2010, Chicago in 2011, Toronto in 2012, and this year Brighton… … which leads me nicely to my next catch-up post: 4th International Conference on Comics & Medicine - Proposing a paper.